Roast Chicken

Some of the best recipes are the simplest ones.  I did a search for a roast chicken recipe the other day and stumbled across this one on Epicurious.  When I read the ingredients I thought it would probably be good, but also thought it couldn’t really be that great because of the lack of seasonings, vegetables, herbs, butter, etc…   Boy, was I wrong.  The meat ends up moist and succulent, the skin is salty and crunchy.  This is honestly the best roast chicken I have ever tasted and I probably won’t make roast chicken any other way.

Ingredients:

1.  4-5 lb whole chicken

2.  2-3 tsp salt (I use Real Salt)

3.  Fresh cracked black pepper

4. 1-2 tsp fresh Thyme (optional)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees

2.  Prepare the chicken by removing the giblets and then rinsing inside and out. My dogs love roast chicken night because I feed them the giblets. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels inside and out.  The chicken needs to be as dry as possible so there is no steam when you are roasting it.

3.  Place the chicken in a roasting pan or do like I do and use a cast iron chicken fryer.  I absolutely love my cast iron and use it for most everything.  Sprinkle the outside of the chicken with 2-3 tsp of salt.  I know it seems like a lot, but you want a crust of salt  to form on the outside of the chicken.  Sprinkle with a little black pepper, maybe half a teaspoon.

4.  Tie the legs tightly together and tuck the wings under the bird.

 

Ready to go in the oven!

5.  Place in the oven, uncovered, and roast for 50-60 minutes.  I usually end up with a 5 lb bird and 60 minutes is perfect.  Do not touch the chicken when it is roasting.  Just leave it. Don’t even look at it.  You probably should go for a 50-60 minute walk.

6.  Pull the chicken out of the oven and spoon the drippings over the top of the chicken.  If you want you can mix some fresh thyme into the drippings before you pour them over chicken.  Let the chicken sit for about 10 minutes before carving it up.

see the salt crust?

When dinner is done do not throw away the carcass.  What I like to do is pick off any uneaten meat and put in a freezer bag.   Then I put the bones/carcass in another bag and throw both bags in the freezer.  When I am ready to make chicken broth it is ready to go in the pot.   If I am making chicken soup (stay posted for the recipe)  I use the leftover meat for the soup, otherwise the meat can be used for most anything you want.   Enjoy!